New Delhi: Former Karnataka minister K.S. Eshwarappa has been cleared by the state police of having any role in the death by suicide of a contractor in mid-April due to the “lack of evidence”.
The state police had pressed charges of abetment to suicide under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code against Eshwarappa. The police filed a ‘b report’ in connection with the suicide at the court of the public representatives, which means it has been closed for the want of evidence, according to reports.
Karnataka police have given a clean chit to former BJP minister KS Eshwarappa in connection with the death of contractor Santosh Patil. Police have filed a B report, which is closing the case for the want of evidence.
— Arun Dev (@ArunDev1) July 20, 2022
A contractor, Santosh Patil, died by suicide on April 12 at a hotel in Udupi after blaming Eshwarappa for his death in a note. He had accused the minister, who had served as Rural Development and Panchayat Raj minister, of demanding a 40% “commission” in a road work worth Rs 4 crore that he had executed.
Patil had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he had invested Rs 4 crore on laying roads in his village based on oral instructions given by Eshwarappa. Patil had urged Modi to direct Eshwarappa to settle his bills.
The minister had dismissed Patil’s allegations and also filed a defamation suit against him and said he did not know the contractor in question. However, Patil’s brother accused the minister of feigning ignorance.
“The minister is cooking up a story that Santosh was not known to him,” Patil’s brother, Prashanth, had said.
Patil, too, was a BJP member and was the national secretary of Hindu Yuva Vahini, a Hindutva outfit associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJP’s ideological fountainhead.
In the aftermath of Patil’s death, opposition parties in Karnataka had amped pressure on BJP, leading up to Eshwarppa’s resignation. However, the BJP had remained defiant initially. With the pressure mounting and the party’s image at stake, Eshwarappa had been asked to step down.
If you know someone – friend or family member – at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. The Suicide Prevention India Foundation maintains a list of telephone numbers (www.spif.in/seek-help/) they can call to speak in confidence. You could also refer them to the nearest hospital.